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Expand your list of question types

1 Extending the interactions

If you stand back a little and ask yourself how a student may provide an input to the computer it will not take you long to work out that there are only three basic interactions.

  • Typing.
  • Pointing/dragging with mouse or finger.
  • Speaking into a microphone.

Given that automatic analysis of speech is very difficult that leaves us with only two input methods. If we are to engage our students and keep them entertained by varying our questions then we need to do as much as we can with those limited inputs. This section will show you:

  • How selection questions can be dressed up in multiple guises.
  • How moving things around on screen is a little more 'fun'.
  • How learning a foreign language requires some precision that a computer can check.
  • How Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics have languages of their own and those languages are precise and tractable by the computer.
  • How you can cope with short answers in the very rich English language.

2 Expand your list of question types

So far we have concentrated on just a few question types that come with Moodle. In this section you will learn how to include question types that are contributed by other Moodle users and in this course we will be concentrating on the question types supplied by the Open University.

These question types are already installed on all Open University platforms, including OpenLearn and OpenLearn Works. If you are developing your questions and quizzes on any of these platforms you may skip the next page.

On the next page we cover how to obtain and install these question types in the workspace that you installed on your PC or Mac in week 1.

Alternatively if you have access to another Moodle, and your service provider will install the OU question types, then you may use that. Be sure that you are given permissions to create both questions and quizzes.

Whichever route you choose you should take the appropriate time to setup your workspace. Your workspace is where you will practise and where you will learn. It is where you will spend a lot of time while studying this course and it is worth your while ensuring that it is properly configured.

2.1 How to install the Open University question types on a Windows PC

This course is being written at the time the Open University moves to Moodle 2.5. The illustrations are from Moodle 2.5 at the OU and the installations have been checked against a PC running the Moodle 2.5 version of Moodle on a Windows PC described under Get your workspace above.

Exercise 2.1 Obtain the necessary files.

  1. There are an ever increasing number on contributed question types in the Moodle plugins library which you will find in the Moodle plugins directory. On that site:
  2. Click on Quiz (it's under the Activities heading).
  3. Then click on the Question types subcategory.
  4. The question types that we will cover in this course are as follows:

    Selection questions

    1. Drag and drop into text
    2. Drag and drop onto image
    3. OU Multiple response
    4. Select missing words

    Placement of markers

    1. Drag and drop markers

    Text input

    1. Pattern match
    2. Reverse pattern match

    Numeric input

    1. Variable numeric
    2. Variable numeric set
    3. Variable numeric set with units

    Combinations

    1. Combined
    Download the zip files of all these question types to your PC.

Exercise 2.2 Increase the maximum execution time

  1. We have found that in the Moodle on a Windows PC installer the default 'maximum execution time' for implementing add-ons is a little too low and you will need to amend it.
  2. If your Moodle workspace is running, please stop it.
  3. Using Windows Explorer please find the folder where your Moodle workspace is held.
  4. In the server\php folder open php.ini with Notepad.
  5. Search (ctrl-f) for max_execution_time.
  6. Set max_execution_time = 120.
  7. Save your change.
  8. Start your Moodle workspace running.

Exercise 2.3 Install the question types

  1. Point your browser at your course in your workspace.
  2. At the bottom of the Administration block click on 'Site administration'.
  3. Under 'Site administration' click on 'Plugins'.
  4. Then click on 'Install add-ons'.
  5. On the page that appears:
    1. Set 'Plugin type' to Question type.
    2. Select the 'OU multiple response' zip file you have just downloaded and drop it into the box labelled 'Zip package'.
    3. Click the acknowledgement.
    4. And install the question type from the zip file.
    5. When invited to upgrade the database do so.
  6. Repeat the above steps with the remaining zip files. Some question types rely on others being installed so please do the installations in the following order...

    Selection questions

    1. OU multiple response (already done)
    2. gapselect (Select missing words)
    3. ddwtos (Drag and drop into text) - requires gapselect
    4. ddimageortext (Drag and drop onto image) - requires gapselect

    Placement of markers

    1. ddmarker is (Drag and drop markers) - requires gapselect and ddimageortext

    Text input

    1. pmatch (Pattern match)
    2. pmatchreverse (Reverse Pattern match)

    Numeric input

    1. varnumericset (Variable numeric set)
    2. varnumeric (Variable numeric) - requires varnumericset
    3. varnumunit (Variable numeric set with units) - requires varnumericset and pmatch

    Combinations

    1. combined - requires OU multiple response, varnumericset, pmatch and gapselect

Exercise 2.4 Check the installation

Check that the questions have installed correctly.

  1. Click on 'Home'.
  2. Then on your course name.
  3. Then on Question bank.
  4. Then questions.
  5. Then create new question.
  6. And the list of questions appearing in the chooser should include those listed above.